Apparatus for forming electric cables

ABSTRACT

A pair of conductors are insulated and twisted together in a continuous operation. Each conductor passes through individual forming means which simultaneously apply insulation to each conductor and means are provided to twist the insulated conductors together.

United States Patent Tomica et al.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING ELECTRIC CABLES Inventors: Alojzy Tomica, Goodmayes; John Francis Blackwell, Welling, both of England International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, NY.

Dec. 31, 1969 Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 2, 1969 Great Britain ..218/69 U.S. Cl ..57/12, 57/6, 57/17, 57/18 Int. Cl. ..D02g 3/36, B65h 81/00 Field ofSearch ..57/12,13,15,17, 18,156, 57/160,151,167,161,164,165, 3, 6,7, 31

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1882 Sawyer ..57/15 X 2,981,052 4/1961 MacHenry ..57/165 X 451,791 5/1891 Wi11iams.....

1,124,249 1/1915 Anderegg 1,165,953 12/1915 Dymock 1,752,497 4/1930 Massingham ..57/ 15 X 1,782,381 11/1930 Dunsheath.....

1,854,119 4/1932 Dom et a1 2,947,652 8/1960 Burr ..57/12 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 873,781 7/1942 France ..57/160 1,102,302 2/1968 Great Britain ..57/160 Primary Examiner-Donald E. Watkins Anomey-C. Cornell Remsen, Jr., Walter J. Baum, Paul W. Hemminger, Percy P. Lantzy, Philip M. Bolton, Isidore Togut and Charles L. Johnson, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A pair of conductors are insulated and twisted together in a continuous operation. Each conductor passes through individual forming means which simultaneously apply insulation to each conductor and means are provided to twist the insulated conductors together.

12 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 27 1972 SHEET 10F 2 Inventors ALOJZY TOM/CA 7 Attorney PATENTEDJIM? I972 3,672,141 SHEET 2 OF 2 Inventors ALOJZY TOM/CA JOHN f- MAC/(WELL Attorney APPARATUS FOR FORMING ELECTRIC CABLES This invention relates to machines for insulating electric cable conductors'and twisting the insulated conductors into pairs or quads for use in the manufacture of electric cables.

Known machines for insulating and twisting electric cable conductors into pairs or quads comprise two separate operations. Firstly each conductor is individually insulated along its entire length by, for example, applying a longitudinally or helically wound paper tape. The insulated conductors are then twisted together into pairs or quads and bound, if necessary, in the twisted form by, for example, a cotton thread.

It is the object of this invention to provide a machine wherein electric cable conductors are individually insulated and then twisted together into pairs or quads in one operation.

According to the invention there is provided a machine for individually insulating two electric cable conductors and twisting together the two insulated conductors so formed, into a pair in one continuous operation, comprising the steps of simultaneously applying a longitudinally wrapped insulating material to each individual conductor, and twisting the two insulated conductors together.

Further, according to the invention there is provided a machine for individually insulating four electric cable conductors and twisting together the four insulated conductors so formed, into a quad in one continuous operation, comprising the steps of simultaneously applying a longitudinally wrapped insulating material to each individual conductor, twisting the four insulated conductors together around a central string to form a quad, and binding the quad with a thread.

For the purpose of this specification the term plurality" is to be understood to mean either a pair or a qua and the word quad" is to be understood to mean Star Quad.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows, schematically, a plan view of the apparatus used in forming quads with longitudinally applied paper insulation, and

FlG. 2 shows a view of a conically shaped forming tool.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there are, mounted on a rigid non-rotatable frame, four conductor-wire supply reels, such as l, the fourth reel being hidden beneath the middle reel, a central string supply reel 9, and four paper supply reels, such as 2. The supply reels are free to rotate about their own axes in order that the wire, paper and string may be unreeled. Also mounted on the frame are four wire and paper guides, such as 3, four conically shaped forming tools, such as 4, four closure dies such as 5, a polishing die 6 and a cotton thread binder 7.

The conductor wires, such as 8, are drawn ofi the supply reels, such as 1, and pass, together with the paper tape, such as 11, from the paper supply reels, such as 2, through their respective paper and wire guides, such as 3, and into the conically shaped forming tools, such as 4, and their associated closure dies, such as 5. The tools, such as 4, and the dies, such as 5, are such that the paper tape, such as 11, is longitudinally wrapped at least 1% times around the conductors, such as 8. The four insulated conductors, such as 12, are then twisted together, by rotation of the take-up bobbin, 13 around the central string fed out from supply 9. The quadded conductors then pass through a polishing die 6, after which a cotton thread is bound around the quad, by the cotton thread binder 7, to hold the quad together. The bound quad is then taken up on the takeup bobbin.

Pairs of insulated conductors may be formed in a similar manner to that described in connection with quads. In this case one can use a four-reel frame, as described above, with only two opposite wire and paper supplies loaded, or altematively, a similar frame having only two sets of supplies and tools. The central string is usually omitted when forming pairs.

The paper tape, such as 11, may, as an alternative, be coated with an adhesive down one edge such that it forms a sealed envelope around the conductor. As another alternative, a plastics/paper laminate, with the paper side towards the conductor, may be used, in which case heating elements are supplied at the closure dies, such as 5, to seal the free edge.

in a preferred embodiment the conically shaped forming tools 4 are as shown in FIG. 2. The tool 4 consists of a piece of metal strip, e.g. mild steel, formed into a conically shaped spiral with none of the overlapping turns touching. The conductor wire 8 and the paper tape 11 are fed into the tool and, by the take-up bobbins pulling the wire and paper through the tool, the paper is longitudinally wrapped around the wire. In this embodiment the closure dies 5 may be dispensed with as the forming tools also perform the closure operation.

In a further embodiment the conductor-wire supply reels are mounted in individual rotatable frames rather than on the rigid non-rotatable frame previously described.

The quadding operation may alternatively be performed by having the items previously on the rigid non-rotatable frame, except the cotton thread binder 7, on a rotatable frame, the take-up bobbin now being non-rotatory, as indicated by the dashed line to a fixed base, apart from about its own axis in order to reel-up the quadded conductors produced by rotation of the frame. This method of quadding can also be used when the conductor-wire supply reels are in individual rotatable frames.

I claim:

1. A machine for individually insulating a plurality of electrical cable conductors and twisting together the insulated conductors in one continuous operation comprising a frame, a plurality of separate converging paths for feeding individual conductors along said frame and spaced about a longitudinal axis, a plurality of conductor wire supply reels carried on one end of said frame, each said wire supply reel being associated with a respective individual conductor path, a plurality of insulating material supply reels carried on said frame, each insulating material supply reel being associated with a respective individual conductor wire reel of a respective path, a plurality of insulating material forming means carried separately on said frame, each forming means being associated with said respective individual conductor wire reel and spaced along said respective path about said axis, a die spaced longitudinally from said forming means to receive the plurality of twisted insulated conductors, a take-up bobbin spaced from the opposite end of said frame and drawing the insulated conductors through said forming means and die, said plurality of forming means simultaneously applying longitudinally wrapped insulating material to each individual conductor, and means for twisting the insulated conductors together.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is a paper tape.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the paper tape is coated on one edge with an adhesive.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is a plastics/paper laminate applied with the plastics side outermost.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is wrapped 1% times around the conductors.

6. The machine as claimed in claim 1 including a first rigid non-rotatable frame carrying said conductor-wire supply reels and insulating material supply reels, all of which supply reels are free to rotate about their own axes, a plurality of wire and insulating material guides, a plurality of forming tools, a polishing die, and a first rotatable frame carrying said take-up bobbin, said bobbin being rotatable about its own axis to pull the wires through the machine for the insulation process and rotatable about an axis at right angles to its own axis to twist the insulated conductors together.

7. The machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the conductor-wire supply reels are mounted in individual rotatable frames attached to the first non-rotatable frame.

8. The machine as claimed in claim 1 including a first rotatable longitudinally extending frame positioned symmetrically about said longitudinal axis and carrying said conductorwire supply reels and insulating material supply reels, all of which supply reels are free to rotate about their own axes, said forming means including a plurality of wire and insulating material guides and a plurality of forming tools, said die being a polishing die, and a rigid non-rotatable frame carrying said take-up bobbin, said bobbin being rotatable about its own axis to pull the wires through the machine for the insulating process, the rotation of said first rotatable frame twisting said conductors together.

9. The machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the conductor-wire supply reels are mounted in individual rotatable frames attached to said first rotatable frame.

10. The machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein four conductors are individually insulated and then twisted together, including a reel attached to the first non-rotatable frame to supply a central string, said four conductors being twisted together around said string to form a quad, and a thread binder attached to the end of the first non-rotatable frame nearest to the take-up bobbin to supply a cotton thread for binding said quad.

11. The machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein four conductors are individually insulated and then twisted together, including a reel attached to the first rotatable frame to supply a central string, said four conductors being twisted together around said string to form a quad, and a thread binder attached to the non-rotatable frame adjacent the polishing die.

12. The machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the forming means include conically-shaped spiral tools which longitudinally wrap the insulating material around the conductor wires.

l i I i 

1. A machine for individually insulating a plurality of electrical cable conductors and twisting together the insulated conductors in one continuous operation comprising a frame, a plurality of separate converging paths for feeding individual conductors along said frame and spaced about a longitudinal axis, a plurality of conductor wire supply reels carried on one end of said frame, each said wire supply reel being associated with a respective individual conductor path, a plurality of insulating material supply reels carried on said frame, each insulating material supply reel being associated with a respective individual conductor wire reel of a respective path, a plurality of insulating material forming means carried separately on said frame, each forming means being associated with said respective individual conductor wire reel and spaced along said respective path about said axis, a die spaced longitudinally from said forming means to receive the plurality of twisted insulated conductors, a take-up bobbin spaced from the opposite end of said frame and drawing the insulateD conductors through said forming means and die, said plurality of forming means simultaneously applying longitudinally wrapped insulating material to each individual conductor, and means for twisting the insulated conductors together.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is a paper tape.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the paper tape is coated on one edge with an adhesive.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is a plastics/paper laminate applied with the plastics side outermost.
 5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating material is wrapped 1 1/2 times around the conductors.
 6. The machine as claimed in claim 1 including a first rigid non-rotatable frame carrying said conductor-wire supply reels and insulating material supply reels, all of which supply reels are free to rotate about their own axes, a plurality of wire and insulating material guides, a plurality of forming tools, a polishing die, and a first rotatable frame carrying said take-up bobbin, said bobbin being rotatable about its own axis to pull the wires through the machine for the insulation process and rotatable about an axis at right angles to its own axis to twist the insulated conductors together.
 7. The machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the conductor-wire supply reels are mounted in individual rotatable frames attached to the first non-rotatable frame.
 8. The machine as claimed in claim 1 including a first rotatable longitudinally extending frame positioned symmetrically about said longitudinal axis and carrying said conductor-wire supply reels and insulating material supply reels, all of which supply reels are free to rotate about their own axes, said forming means including a plurality of wire and insulating material guides and a plurality of forming tools, said die being a polishing die, and a rigid non-rotatable frame carrying said take-up bobbin, said bobbin being rotatable about its own axis to pull the wires through the machine for the insulating process, the rotation of said first rotatable frame twisting said conductors together.
 9. The machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the conductor-wire supply reels are mounted in individual rotatable frames attached to said first rotatable frame.
 10. The machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein four conductors are individually insulated and then twisted together, including a reel attached to the first non-rotatable frame to supply a central string, said four conductors being twisted together around said string to form a quad, and a thread binder attached to the end of the first non-rotatable frame nearest to the take-up bobbin to supply a cotton thread for binding said quad.
 11. The machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein four conductors are individually insulated and then twisted together, including a reel attached to the first rotatable frame to supply a central string, said four conductors being twisted together around said string to form a quad, and a thread binder attached to the non-rotatable frame adjacent the polishing die.
 12. The machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the forming means include conically-shaped spiral tools which longitudinally wrap the insulating material around the conductor wires. 